Mayor and Council Minutes – November 6, 2023

CHESTERTOWN MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Mayor Foster called the meeting to order at 6:08 p.m.  In attendance were Councilmembers Tim O’Brien, Tom Herz, Jose Medrano and Meghan Efland, Larry DiRe (Town Manager), Lynda Thomas (Town Clerk) and guests.

Mayor Foster asked if there were any additions or corrections to the Mayor and Council minutes of October 16, 2023.  Councilman O’Brien moved to approve the minutes of the Mayor and Council meeting of October 16, 2023. The motion was seconded by Councilman Medrano and carried unanimously.  (It was noted that Mayor Foster and Councilman Herz voted present since they were not present at the October 16, 2023, meeting)

Mayor Foster reported that the cash on hand was $2,745,667.81.  Councilman Herz made a motion to pay the bills. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Efland and passed unanimously.

Consent Calendar

• Hometown Holiday
• Dickens of a Christmas

Councilman O’Brien made a motion to approve the consent calendar. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Efland and passed unanimously.

Department of Housing and Community Development Presentation

Mr. Charles Day, Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) presented the Local Government Infrastructure financing program that offers Maryland counties and municipalities a cost-effective way to finance public purpose capital projects, enabling the delivery of essential services to support communities and the people they serve. These projects can include, but are not limited to, streetscape improvements, transportation enhancements, and water and sewer treatment facilities.

The DHCD has the expertise and resources, including bond counsel and a financial advisor, to manage the complexities of tax-exempt bond financing on behalf of the state’s local governments and the program reduces issuance costs through economies of scale and by pooling the local demand.  

Placer.ai

Ms. Caitlin Green and Mr. Jeremy O’Neil, Placer.ai Solutions, presented a location and analytics platform that leverages mobile location data, providing market intelligence for any physical place in the country.  Placer.ai can tell how many people visit a location, the frequency of visits, zip codes of visitors, how far they traveled to attend an event or public place and the places they visited before and after attending the event or public place. The application has the ability to track the behavior of people but does not collect user identifiers.

Ms. Green reviewed the 2-year subscription at a cost of $16,000 annually.  

Public Hearing

A Public Hearing was held for Resolution 06-2023, Repealing and Re-Enacting §3(c) – Councilmembers’ Qualifications – of the Town Charter. 

There were no public comments given.

Mr. O’Brien recused himself from the vote given that the amendment to the Charter directly affected him.

Councilwoman Efland made a motion to approve Resolution 06-2023. The motion was seconded by Councilman Medrano. With a 4 to 0 vote, the motion passed.

Town Manager’s Report

Mr. DiRe gave an update on the Boards/Commissions/Committees, reported on the Parking, and Website/Communications. 

Mayors Report

Mr. Foster reported:

• Attended the fall Maryland Municipal League (MML) meeting in College Park and was on the panel for the Tax Differential.
• While in College Park, took a tour of a local Makerspace.
• Attended the kickoff for the Comptroller’s advisory group.
• Chesapeake College is interested in discussing the possibility of a satellite campus at Washington College.

Old Business

Councilman Herz made a motion to place the Puzzle Sculpture in the designated area adjacent to Dockside Emporium and Sugar Doodles. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Efland and passed unanimously.

Mr. DiRe reviewed the $500,000 project report that addresses various town projects that are in need of upgrading or replacement.

Mr. DiRe reviewed a $290,000 application to the Department of Natural Resources for Carpenter Park improvements planned for the spring.

Mr. O’Brien asked to add a sidewalk and step located on Washington Avenue, in need of repair, to the priority list.

Mr. DiRe reviewed the Upper Shore Community Development Partners MOU and the changes made by the Town Attorney.

New Business

Mr. DiRe reviewed the Shore Rivers lease agreement.  He noted that the five-year agreement had expired, and Shore Rivers would like to sign another five-year lease with another five-year option after that.  He reviewed the amended annual rent increase of 8.5%.

Requests from the Public

Ms. Carol Niemand presented the prototype of a homeless sleeping cart that could be placed on a property that would house a homeless person during the winter months. She noted the cart was funded by Shrewsberry Church and asked the Mayor and Council to assist in finding a safe location to place the cart that could possibly be plugged in to provide heat.

Mr. Steve McWilliams reviewed his presentation from the September 18^th meeting and asked when the Town would begin making the addressed changes.  Mayor noted that it was a-work-in-progress.

Ward Reports

Mr. O’Brien reported:

• His picks for the Halloween decoration were 8 Byford Court and 201 Cedar Street.
• Thanked Mr. DiRe for being responsive.

Mr. Herz reported:

• Attended the fall MML meeting in College Park.
• Presented the Legislative Bond Initiative (LBI) for the Chestertown Heritage Trail at a recent County Commissioner meeting.
• Attended Kent Counties opioid special session.
• Spent the day with Gabby and Josie Hackett, Mayor for the day.

Mr. Medrano reported:

• The resident at 220 Devon Drive reported that loose leaves and brush were left across the street in front of the stormwater drain.
• Johnny Jones, Esquire, Ethics Commission Chair, had to reschedule the Coventry Farms Homeowners Association meeting due to weather and would like the ability to use a meeting room at town hall or the visitor center.

Ms. Efland reported:

• Her pick for the Halloween decorations was 309 Washington Avenue.
• China House reopened at the same location.
• Turkey Trot will be Thanksgiving morning at the YMCA. Proceeds support the Y Open Doors Fund, providing inclusivity and access for all.
• Achieving Academic Equity and Excellence for Black Boys, a Kent County Middle School student group, is holding their second annual Thanksgiving food drive to provide families a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
• Would like to discuss whether to continue holding elections when all candidates are unopposed. It’s an expense to the town.

There being no further business, Councilman Herz moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:48 pm. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Efland and carried unanimously.

Submitted by:                                                             Approved by:

Lynda Thomas, Town Clerk                                       David Foster, Mayor

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AGENDA

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

The Mayor and Council meeting will resume in person meetings at Town Hall.  A livestream feed is available at www.townofchestertown.com.

6:00 p.m.

UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING

1. Call meeting to order
2. Minutes of October 2, 2023, Utilities Commission meetings
3. Operating funds on hand
4. Payment of bills
5. Mr. Sipes report
6. Questions or comments
7. Adjourn

MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING

1. Call meeting to order
2. Minutes of October 16, 2023, Mayor and Council meetings
3. Operating funds on hand
4. Payment of bills
5. Consent Calendar
   1. Hometown Holiday
   2. Dickens of a Christmas
6. Charles Day, DHCD
7. Placer Demonstration
8. Public Hearing – Resolution 06-2023 – Repealing and Re-Enacting §C5-8. Nominations
9. Resolution 06-2023 – Vote
10. Town Manager’s report
    1. Boards/Commissions/Committees Update
    2. Parking
    3. Website/Communications
11. Mayor’s Report
12. Old Business
    1. Puzzle Sculpture vote
    2. $500k Project Report
    3. Upper Shore Community Development Partners MOU – Review/Discussion
13. New Business
    1. Shore Rivers Lease
14. Ward Reports
15. Requests from the public to be on the agenda:
    1. Frances Mayo Letter
    2. Steve McWilliams review presentation from the Sept. 18th meeting
16. Questions or comments
17. Adjourn